Training for the Bar needs to change, and here’s how . . .

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'There should be more provision for distance and online learning to lower course costs'Gill Allen for The Times

Anita Davies

Last updated at 12:01AM, May 26 2011

“I feel like a mug. Every time I step through those doors and think, ‘I paid
£16,000 for this’. I feel like such a mug.”

Such is the view of one student on the Bar Professional Training Course
(BPTC), but it reflects the feelings of many would-be barristers. Most agree
that while the teaching is generally good and the advocacy training useful,
the course is a hoop to be jumped through rather than a valuable educational
experience. There is much room for improvement.

There are two main problems. The first is the high ratio of students to
pupillages. One in